"And while the Buddha sat, and all around him listened, these are the stories he told.

“My children,” he said, “I have not come now among you as your Buddha for the first time; I have come many times before; sometimes as a child among the little children, sometimes among the animals as one of their kind, loving them as I love you now; sometimes in Nature, among the flowers, I traced a way for you and you knew it not.

“Thus your Buddha came once as a monkey amid the monkeys, as a deer amid the deer, and he was their chief and their guide.”

 
-From Twenty Jataka Tales retold by N.I. Khan

Jataka Tales are stories of the Buddha’s past lives, his past reincarnations, and his past adventures in this world.  As with many Judeo-Christian traditions, stories likes these would be told to children as a way of teaching early religious practices and morals.  As scholars and teachers these stories provide a wealth of knowledge not only about the literary traditions of Buddhism and the Himalayan region, but also aspects of daily life.  Jataka Tales are a rich way to teach your students about Indic traditional values, social roles and hierarchy, Asian literature and writing practices, and Buddhism.  In addition, the literature serves as a vehicle for creative writing and story telling.

Three tales from Noor Inayat Khan’s book, Twenty Jataka Tales, are listed below, as well as a lesson plan for using these stories in your classroom.  These stories are ripe for classroom learning at all ages and are interdisciplinary teaching tools.  Enjoy!